Strange and Beautiful
by Pixie-Ink
Summary: She is secretly falling apart, but she can't help turning their heads her way. Joker/OC, Bruce Wayne/OC.
1. Prologue: The Most Unusual Girl

He sat in the white room, a straight jacket covering his torso. His face was completely bare, except, of course, for the scars. Dr. Jacobs sat across the room behind a regular metal table. He shuffled papers back and forth, asked a simple question, and waited for a response. The Joker never replied with what he wanted. After Dr. Jacobs wrote something on a yellow notepad, The Joker finally spoke.

"It's a shame your divorce is final, doctor." He said, his head tilted downward, but his eyes pointing directly towards Jacobs'. "Your wife was always such a… pretty lady."

Mark Jacobs sighed. "Yes, she was." His jaw tensed a little bit as he continued his questions. "Why do you feel you need to use an alternate persona? Why not just be who you really are?"

"Yes, she was a very lovely woman. Do you think it was your fault, doctor? Her leaving you, I mean." He grew more relaxed as he noticed the doctor's uneasiness. "Do you feel guilty? Do you feel like you've made a mistake?"

"Answer my questions." Jacobs replied. He gripped his pen and clenched his jaw.

"Do you feel you've made a mistake?" Joker repeated. "I mean, you couldn't have possibly foreseen what happened. It wasn't _your _fault you force-fed your son prescription pills. It wasn't _your_ fault he died." The doctor's hand started to shake as his cheap pen started to crack. The Joker sat forward a little bit and stared up into the doctors brown eyes. His voice was soft as he spoke in a matter-of-factly tone. "Do you think she would still love you if you hadn't killed her _only_ son?"

Jacobs stood as the pen burst in his hand. A female voice awoke him from his horrible thoughts. "Dr. Jacobs, a Dr. Laine is here to see you about his daughter." Nurse Dawson walked into the room and gathered some of the papers that had been spilled on the floor when Jacobs stood. He helped, thanked her, and walked out of the room.

A few moments later, four burley men, dressed in white, grabbed The Joker and walked him out of the room; towards his cell. As he walked, he heard the doctor and the nurse having a conversation as they headed down a different hall, probably about the girl that had been previously mentioned. "She's outside now, shaking profusely. Dr. Laine has requested you again, you're the only one here he trusts with his daughter."

Their talking faded as the guards led him farther down the hallway. They took a few turns and started down the normal route back to Joker's cell. After another turn, three guards wrestled with a screaming patient, so turning back and taking the 'scenic' route was the only option. The guards made him turn a few more corners before they turned down a brightly lit hallway. A giant window stretched against the wall, revealing the courtyard of the asylum. In front of the buildings entrance, which was three levels below, a small woman sat on a bench.

She had shoulder length, black hair with strands of purples and blues that fell over her shoulders. She was wearing a long sleeved jacket, even though the weather was sunny and warm, and had tight black jeans on. Even though she was far away, The Joker could see her shaking, just as the nurse said. Her body shook as she took a drag off the cigarette she was holding.

Before he was lead beyond the large window, he watched a nurse walk to the courtyard and direct the dark haired woman into the asylum. Her walk was a mix of confidence and insecurity. She threw the cigarette to the ground and followed the nurse, then she disappeared into the building.

The Joker was lead beyond the window, down a few more halls, and then he was placed in his cell. A few moments later, another guard came in, removed the straight jacket, and then left. The Joker just sat against his wall, fiddling with his hands.


	2. She's Strange

I have no experience with Drug Rehabilitation, especially heroin, so I don't know if I depicted rehab accurately.  
This is just background on Sadie Laine, the good stuff is coming up.  
I Promise.

* * *

Sadie tried to keep her hands steady as she walked into the large, grey building. Everything in the waiting room was all too familiar; the purple-blue walls, the white furniture, and the smell of vanilla potpourri. The red headed nurse grabbed Sadie's arm and rushed through the waiting room; Sadie knew the next destination.

The nurse guided Sadie through many hallways; the kind of hallways that scream "doctor's office". Sadie's hands began to shake more and more as they walked faster and faster. After another hallway, they stopped at a large, oak door.

"Wait here." The nurse commanded, pushing Sadie onto the white couch that rested across from the door. The nurse stepped into the room; Sadie caught a quick glance at her father, who was laughing with Mark Jacobs, Arkham's lead doctor and the doctor that had taken Sadie's previous cases; every single one of them.

The door slammed shut, the voices fell silent, and Sadie had nothing to do but think. She held her shaky hands together and thought about the last time she had been to The Arkham Rehabilitation Center.

She was sixteen when she had her first visit to the center. She couldn't remember going in, or the first few days of her one month stay, for that matter. She remembered waking up in a hospital bed and having to talk to psychiatrists for two days straight. She remembered her mothers tears and her fathers anger. The months that followed that had been torture for Sadie; she wished the pills would have killed her.

The second time was on her twentieth birthday; another depression case, but she did spend a few months in the rehab portion of Arkham. She was "addicted" to prescription medication, but Sadie always saw it as a _fancy_ rather then an _addiction_.

She had been in and out of numerous portions of Arkham over the years. Her gullible mother always helped her get off easy if she had to be committed. Saying she promised to try harder or that she just needed a little help always seemed to work. Now that her mother was gone, Sadie had to set through the torture of her overbearing father. She'd never had to deal with him alone before.

Sadie's hands started to shake more violently. Her body was sweating and her muscles started to tense. Within a half an hour, her nose started to run, her eyes started to water, and it seemed as if every small noise would make her jump. After a few more moments, she started to cry. This pain had always been unbearable, but it seemed worse now.

Finally, Dr. Jacobs walked into the hall, followed by Sadie's father and the red headed nurse.

"Oh my god!" Dr. Jacobs shouted. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on her arms. "Go get Dr. Varthouian, we need to start detox."

Sadie's quiet sobs had turned into cries of pain. She held herself, as if trying to keep herself from falling into pieces. As the red headed nurse turned to run, an arm stopped her; Sadie's father.

"What are you doing?" Jacob's asked. "Michael, Your daughter needs our help."

"Not this time." He replied. He looked deeply into his daughters pain and anger filled eyes. "You'll learn."


	3. An Unusual World

Sadie stared deeply into the clear water before it became diluted with this mornings oatmeal and orange juice. Her stomach lurched once more and threw her food into the porcelain bowl. She'd been here for five days and her withdrawals hadn't gotten any easier; especially since her father refused to let her go through any type of detox.

After the food in her stomach was no longer in her stomach, all that was left was acid and blood. She cried in agony for nearly an hour before her stomach settled. Once she was able to hold herself up on her hands and knees, she crawled back to her bed, climbed in, and grabbed her stomach. It felt as if napalm had been injected into her veins.

"How are you doing today?" Dr. Mark Jacobs appeared beside Sadie's single bed. His voice was soft, but there was the tiniest bit of worry behind it.

"I… imagine that this… is what hell… is like." Sadie managed to get out before another wave of pain made her moan.

Mark sat down and started taking Sadie's vitals. "I'm sorry we couldn't help with this, your father's trying to 'teach you a lesson', as he likes to call it."

Sadie let out a sarcastic giggle. "That bastard must really love me."

"He does." Mark replied. "Sadie, your fathers cares about you a lot. But we can't get into that now." Mark straightened up a bit. "This morning, at around five AM, Allison Quinn committed suicide. Now-"

"What?" Sadie sat up. "At five? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Anger began to brew in Sadie's stomach. "What happened?" She could hear the frantic worry in her own voice.

Mark sat still for a moment. "She… well… she threw a chair out of her window and jumped. It was a shock to all of us."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Sadie tried to suppress tears, but the effort was wasted; tears started streaming down her face. "I could have helped her!" She buried her head into her knees and sobbed.

"Sadie, no one knew what was going to happen. She showed no signs of depression, she seemed so close to recovery."

"I could have helped her!" Sadie shouted through her sobs. Allison had been a long time friend of Sadie's. They first met when they were both sixteen. Allison was admitted into the hospital due to a suicide attempt; just like Sadie. They hit it off, but while Sadie seemed to get a little better, Allison always got worse. Her depression progressed throughout the years.

Mark let out a sigh and started rubbing Sadie's back. "Your father thinks that it's not such a good idea for you to go to the funeral." Sadie looked at Mark. "But," he said before Sadie could protest. "with my consent, you may leave for the duration of the funeral. He can't legally keep you here."

More tears filled Sadie's eyes as she hugged her doctor. Though his returning hug seemed a bit strange, Sadie accepted it, along with her tears. Mark broke the hug after a few moments and stood up.

"The funeral will be in five days. Get some rest, now." With that, Mark left the room.

Sadie rested her head on her pillow and cried. That physical pain had disappeared, but was replaced with a mental pain that was worse then the withdrawals.

* * *

Mark Jacobs opened the large white door and sat in his regular seat; The Joker sat in his. "Good evening, doctor. How's the wife?" A smile appeared on his scared face.

"Today, I would like to start off where we stopped the other day." Mark adjusted himself in his seat and read off of a piece of paper. "Can you tell me how you got your scars?"

The Joker sat up and smiled. "Why, of course I can."

After, about, a minute, Mark looked up. "Well?"

"Well what?" His eyes turned innocent. "I answered you. I'm waiting for the next question."

"Could you tell me how you go those scars?" Mark repeated.

"Of course I could tell you. I just don't feel like it. I reserve my right to withhold that information, don't I?" He sat forward a bit, trying to get comfortable in his straight jacket. "Or is that right only reserved for patients you like?"

"What makes you think I don't like you?" Mark asked.

"You're too _serious_." He replied, leaning forward again. "See, guys like you - _the serious ones_ - tend to dislike guys like me - the ones that are _always smiling_."

"Why would that make me hate you?"

"Oh, I don't know. _Jealousy_, perhaps."

"And what would I be jealous of?" Mark glanced at the one way mirror on the wall.

"Guys like me can do whatever they want. We're not bound by your rules or limitations." The Joker leaned forward. "If a guy like me was in your position right now, he would jump over your table and strangle me, like you want to do, but since you're restricted, you can't."

Mark copied a few things down and looked up. "What _else_ can you do?"

"Anything I want."

The following day, a large explosion blew three rooms of the Arkham Asylum to smithereens.


	4. Allison Quinn's Funeral

Sadie took a sip of her coffee as she followed Mark Jacobs to his 2005 Maybach SV. The sky was a light shade of grey, as if rain was imminent; very cliché weather for a funeral. She lit up a cigarette and cracked the window a bit.

"You know, those are bad for you." Mark said. "And they're not too good for the leather interior of a 50,000 dollar car."

Sadie took another drag a threw it out the window. "Sorry." She sipped her coffee and stared into the grey sky. "Did... did Allison leave a note or anything?"

"No… she didn't." He seemed focused on the road. "We searched her room for one, but nothing was out of place. This was a complete surprise to everyone."

"Hmm." The only thing Sadie could reply with and it wasn't even a word. She felt horrible; her friend had committed suicide and her body had gone without drugs for over a week. She took a drink of her coffee, as if the heat would dull the pain; it only made her nauseous.

Within moments, the car had stopped and Mark had opened his door. "Are you ready?"

Sadie sighed and left the warm interior of the car. The muggy weather made Sadie's head feel heavier then it really was. She walked over to a fairly small group of people, all wearing black. In front of them was a small, ash casket; the kind that would normally hold a grey, old woman. She fought back tears.

* * *

Today was the day of Allison Quinn's funeral. He had only met her once, in a group therapy session; when he was allowed in group therapy sessions. She was a nice girl, a bit crazy, but nice. He remembered back to when he first met her; the day after their encounter, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, due to the fact that she believed she had been raped by a ghost.

The Joker stopped thinking back and focused on the matter at hand. He held the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the crowd of darkly dressed citizens. Among the sea of tears, he saw the girl with the black hair. She was the only one not crying. She held a cup of coffee in her hands and would take sips every time her mouth seemed to quiver. She stood there as if she had confidence, but The Joker could see her insecurities nearly falling through.

On any other day, she would have been just another girl that he could easily blow up. Today, something - maybe her eyes, maybe her hair, maybe the way the groggy light hit her - made time stop for the clown prince. She was beautiful.

* * *

The priest blessed the coffin as Sadie watched it fall slowly into the ground. She held back her tears by taking a sip of her scolding hot coffee. The wind started to pick up, so the crowd of mourners dispersed. Sadie said her final farewells to her friend and followed Mark Jacobs back to his car.

They drove back to the hospital without saying a word. By the time they got back, Sadie had run out of coffee and began to cry. Mark led her back to her room where she cried for two hours. When the tears finally stopped, Sadie laid on her bed and stared out of her large window.

A nurse barged into the room with a small tray and a small, plastic cup. "Here sweetie, this'll make you feel better." The nurse sat down on the edge of Sadie's bed and held up two small red pills.

Sadie glanced at her, then back out the window. "I don't want to take anything." That was the first time Sadie Laine had ever turned down drugs.

The nurse moved closer. "These will make you feel better."

"I don't want to take anything." Sadie's voice was getting louder.

"Just take the-"

Sadie sat up in a rush and hit herself in the leg. "I don't want to take anything!" It seemed that Sadie's brain had finally snapped under the pressure of the funeral and lack of drugs. She kicked the nurse and started hitting herself as hard as she could. The nurse started to shout for help as she tried to restrain Sadie.

Two security guards rushed in and tried to restrain her as the nurse ran to get Dr. Jacobs. The guards held Sadie down on the bed as Jacobs walked in. Without a word, he injected something into her pale arm. Within moments, she was asleep.


	5. Confinement

Sadie woke up in a poorly lit room. The walls were a dark, moldy looking green and there were no windows. It seemed like the whole room was padded, but because of the lighting, Sadie couldn't be sure.

Her head ached and throbbed. When she tried to reach towards her forehead, her arm would only move an inch. Before she panicked, she looked down at her limbs. Her arms and legs had been tied to the bed. She flailed a bit, but gave up and rested. Without light or a clock, Sadie couldn't tell how long it had been before Mark Jacobs finally walked into the room. A buzzing sound rang, notifying that the door had been unlocked.

"How are you doing?" He asked, checking her pulse.

"How does it look like I'm doing?" She shouted back.

"This was for your protection." He said. "And the protection of a very decent nurse." He flashed a charming smile down to her. She didn't respond. "Look, you only have to stay in here for another day. Just until we can be sure you've calmed down." A large security guard stood in the doorway as Mark untied Sadie's arms and legs. "Now, get some rest, and you'll be released tomorrow."

He brushed her arm and then walked out of the room. Sadie noticed, every fifteen minutes, that a nurse would walk to the small window in the door and look in. She hated the asylum procedures. Once she started to ignore the constant visits from nurses or the buzzing sounds from other unlocked doors, she began to drift to sleep.

* * *

A small buzzing noise went off and the front gate opened. Three thugs rushed in, followed by The Joker, who was skipping merrily. He skipped his way to the door and waltzed in. The walls were that annoying purplish-grayish color and the room reeked of vanilla. One nurse stood behind the counter with a look of fear upon her face as the thugs vandalized the room.

"Don't worry, beautiful," The Joker said. As he walked past her, he made a mock bow without breaking his stare. "We'll be out in a bit."

He followed his thugs through different hallways until they came to a guard post. Four guards sat in this particular post, watching the security cameras. The Joker took out the sawed off shotgun that was in his coat and shot at the glass, missing the guards by inches. The guards fell and shouted in terror. He fired another shot and blew out another window. The thugs ran in and shot each guard in the head.

The Joker cackled and jumped over the dead men. He sat down on one of the chairs, threw his legs onto the desk, and searched the contents of the files in front of him. "What have we _here_?" He asked himself, picking up a clipboard. Written on the clipboard were names and room numbers. "_Hmm_." The Joker looked over the clipboard and glanced around. "Ahh, here we go." He moved forward and hit a red button.


	6. A Flashing Red Light

A loud buzzing sound woke Sadie from her deep sleep. She sat up straight and looked around; there was a red light flashing outside her door, which was now wide open. She was confused. Her father explained this to her once before; there was a button used to open all of the cell doors incase of emergencies, such as fires. Sadie didn't panic due to her confusion. She stood up, straightened up her gray hospital gown, and walked slowly towards the door.

The buzzing sound rang in her ears as she approached. Once she peered down the hall, she noticed the other patients doing the same thing she was doing. They all looked confused as they tried to figure out what was going on. Sadie looked at the frightened patients, then down the hall. She started walking towards the nearest guard post to see what was going on.

* * *

The Joker started giggling as he watched the security cameras. The confused looks made this worth it. While he watched, he saw one person cross from one camera's view to another's; the black haired girl. He leaned closer to the screen before she disappeared and reappeared into another camera's view. He kicked one of the guard's dead bodies out of the way and opened the patient files. He scanned through the files, throwing the wrong ones behind him wildly. He, finally, found her file:

**Sadie Lynn Laine; 27  
****Born to: Michael Allen Laine & Tracy Ann Laine (Baldwin)**

The Joker recognized her father's name; he was one of the doctors that used to be on the payroll. He quit and moved to a different city before The Joker had a chance to get acquainted. Joker's hatred for doctors made this scenario far more interesting. He scanned the rest of the paper.

**Doctors Notes:  
****Sadie Laine is notorious for drug use; Heroin, mostly. She also has signs of depression and suicidal tendencies (Bi-polar disorder). Under too much stress or pressure, she is known to lash out at herself and others. She was addicted to prescription anti-anxiety medication and street Vicodin. She was once anorexic and has been known to, on occasion, purge. She is to be treated with caution, not only for others, but for herself as well. She is to be watched carefully.  
-Dr. Mark Jacobs**

The Joker burst into a mad laughter. "The daughter of a doctor and she's completely insane!" He threw the file at one of his thugs and stood up, still smiling. "My kind of girl." He looked at the security camera and then started walking down the hall, his thugs followed.

He walked down one hall, then down another one. When he turned his third corner, after passing numerous mental patients, he spotted her. When she saw him, she froze in her tracks.

* * *

Sadie's heart jumped into her throat, then dropped into her stomach. She had never really been afraid to die, but The Joker seemed to paralyze her with fear. He stood there, staring at her with a permanent smile on his face. Before he could say whatever was at his lips, Sadie turned around and ran. She could hear foot steps following her, along with his laughter; the kind of laugh that drives fear into the hearts of the brave.

The Joker would let out a bark, then a horrifying laugh. A few times, he fired some rounds out of one of his guns, but he was mostly goading her way. Sadie began to scream as she let a few tears reach the surface. As she climbed a flight of stairs, one of the thugs had caught up to her and shot; he missed her head by mere inches. She screamed again as she tried to find her sanctuary.


	7. Cold Metal

Sadie ran down a hallway and then down a flight of stairs. Why these goons followed her, she had no idea, but they were and she was scared. She'd heard about what this Joker guy can do; it wasn't death she was scared of, if was of the twisted things that could happen to her. She began to pant as she tried to figure a place to hide.

The Joker fired another shot towards her. She screamed once again and rushed down another flight of stairs. When she got to the bottom, she took a right and then another left; she was in the doctor hallway.

She knocked on random doors, but no one answered. She heard another gun shot as she reached the white couch. She let out a frantic sigh of relief and rushed in to Mark Jacobs' office.

"Mark!" She shouted after slamming the door.

From the small room the right she heard, "What? Who is it?"

"Where's the key to the door?!" She yelled, holding her body against it.

"Sadie?" He asked. "It's in my desk, what's going on?"

Sadie set a chair in front of the door, underneath the doorknob, and ran to the desk. She searched the left drawers first. When she found nothing, she searched the middle. She found nothing once again.

_Third time's a charm. _She thought, opening the right hand drawers.

A gun shot made her jump as she searched the drawers. She threw the top draw to the floor and searched for the key. After a moment of searching, she found it on top of a paper with a very familiar signature. _**Allison Elizabeth Quinn** _was scrawled at the bottom of a sheet of paper. Suddenly, locking the door didn't seem so important.

She grabbed the paper and read it; it was a suicide note. A burning sensation began to grow in Sadie's stomach. She held the note in one hand as she scanned the rest of the contents of the drawer. Beneath some papers were pictures; naked pictures of Allison. In some she was tied up, in others she was in provocative positions, in the worst, she was in a picture with Dr. Mark Jacobs.

Mark walked out of the bathroom, fastening his pants back up. "Now, what's going on?"

Sadie stood up, forgetting all about the crazy madmen that followed her. "What the hell are these?" She asked, holding up the pictures.

Mark stared for a moment with an expression off guilt and fear on his face. "Now, Sadie, let me-"

"She didn't leave a suicide note, hmm?" She threw the pictures at him. She slowly moved closer to him, but he walked slowly towards the other end of the desk, where the drawers were. "Trying to keep your good name as a 'wholesome' doctor? Why didn't you ever try this shit on me, hmm? Was it 'cause I actually had someone that would sue your sick ass if you did?"

Sadie now had her back to the door, facing Jacobs, a desk between them. "Raped by a ghost…" She thought out loud. "The doctors coat!" She would have started crying if it wasn't for the explosion.

The Joker and his goons blew the door off it's hinges and walked in. Sadie fell to the ground and covered her head, dropping the suicide note. The Joker grabbed her arm, pulled her up, and held his favorite blade to her mouth. One of the thugs grabbed Mark and brought him to the front of the desk, facing Sadie and her tormentor.

"You sure put on _some race_." Joker said, holding Sadie's back closer to his chest. "You really didn't want me to catch up with you, did you?" Sadie pulled her head closer to The Joker's to avoid the cold metal he held in his hands. She let out a small whimper and closed her eyes. "Why are you so scared?! It's the scars, isn't it? Would you like to know how I got 'em?"

For a moment, he looked as if he were thinking, but then he looked back down at Sadie. "I was in love… with a _beautiful_ girl. Beautiful… _like you_. I tried everything to woo her, but she always seemed to ignore me and go for the… _dangerous_ type." He paused and thought for another second or two. "One day, she comes to my doorstep looking for help. See, she was in deep trouble with a lot of… _bad _men. So, she runs to me. I loved her so much, I just couldn't say no. So, before I had a chance to… _find_… these men, they found me. For three days, these men tortured me before they let me go. They took everything I owned for this woman." His voice got lower and quieter. "When I got back to her, she thanked me with a kiss on the cheek and walked out my door. I grabbed her and asked why she didn't love me. You know what she said?!" His voice got shaky and sad; so much so that Sadie felt almost sympathetic. "She said I was _too serious_. I didn't _smile_ enough! So, I took my knife and did _this_ to my face. She screamed and ran; I never saw her again. Now… just incase I find someone like her, I'm not so serious anymore. _I'm always smiling_!"

He moved his knife away from her face for a moment; Sadie seized this opportunity. She elbowed him in the chest, spun around, grabbed his knife, turned again, and stuck the knife in Mark Jacobs' mouth. She moved her arm down until he was on his knees.

"You sick, demented bastard!" She shouted. "You murdered my friend!" The Joker didn't move and he waved down his goons. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't shove this down your throat."

With the knife in his mouth, Mark tried to talk. Sadie managed to hear "She wanted it."

Sadie started to laugh as tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "You sick fuck. I want you dead…" She moved a bit closer. "…but I'm not a killer."

Mark let out a sigh of relief, but it came too soon. Sadie pulled the blade across his cheek, cutting his cheek in half. He fell to the floor, bleeding and screaming. "I'm not, but they are."

She turned and handed The Joker his knife and picked up the suicide note.

* * *

As she walked past him, he caught her scent. She didn't smell musty or sweaty, which is what normally happens when you run; she smelled like pears. It was odd for someone to be that stressed and still smell as sweet.

He watched her leave, tears running down her face and that paper in her hands. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even when she was crying her heart out. He'd become infatuated with her, and he knew he was trapped within her web. She didn't know it, but he knew, and now he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had her.

One of his goons coughed and woke him from his thoughts. He turned to the bleeding doctor and started to laugh hysterically. "See? _Anything I want_." He said. "But it's nice to see you have a smile on your face now… well… part of one. Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked. "Is it the scars?" He put his blade back in the doctor's mouth, against the other cheek, and grinned. "Wanna know how I got 'em?"


	8. New Employees

Sadie walked to the front office, which was now vacant, and searched the desk. Once she found the papers she was looking for, the forms for her release, she copied Mark's signature to each one and placed them on the desk. She then walked out into the street and headed for her cousin's apartment.

* * *

The Joker laughed hysterically as he watched the doctor clutch his face and roll on the floor screaming. He started jumping around and mocking the doctors horrified shrills for help. "Maybe this'll help you _smile_ a bit more." He cackled again and left the room; his goons followed.

He made his way back to the cells he started at; those were the cells of the more "insane" patients, the kind he liked to have on his side. When he got into the hall, many of the patients were standing by their doors, still frightened by their first sight of The Joker, others were walking up and down the halls. When no one noticed him, he fired his gun into the air. They all stopped and stared.

"I open these doors for you and you just _stand_ here?" He started walking. "What are you all… _insane_? Well, never the less, I have a… _business_… proposition for all of you. See, the police are on their way right now to lock you all up again, but I'm offering you a chance to get out. All you have to do is… come work for me. You do what I say, obey my commands, blah blah blah." With each "blah", he hit a patient over the head, as if playing a more violent 'Duck, Duck, Goose'. The sound of sirens started to get louder now. "So… what do you say?"

A few patients nodded, but one skinny man stepped forward. "If we join you, we'll never get out. If we join you and get caught, we'll get worse then what we have now. When you get caught again, you'll get sent back here, but we'll get sent to prison." He seemed nervous, but he had a strange confidence about him. "I'm not joining you, and I'm sure plenty of others would agree with me."

The Joker pursed his lips, but then started to laugh. He looked around at the patients and laughed, then fired his shotgun right at the skinny man, blowing his head clean off. "So!" He shouted, holding his shotgun to various patients heads. "Plenty of others agree with him?"

They all shook their heads, indicating that they had joined The Joker. He grabbed a particularly frightened man and hugged him tightly. "That's more like it!" He released the man. "Now, back to business. Since you all work for me now…" he reached into his coat and pulled out various guns and knives. "You four are going to go kill those cops." He handed the guns and knives to four skinny men.

They looked at each other in horror. The sirens were, most likely, coming from outside the building now and they were very loud; there were a lot of cops. "What if they try to kill us?" One asked. "What if we don't make it back?" The other asked.

The Joker started skipping down the hall. "What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? Or worse…" He spun to face them with a look of horror on his face. "What if this guy is the only guy that exists?" He smacked a very large man in the stomach, laughed, and started skipping down the hall, making up his own 'what if' quotes. His goons and his new "employees" followed him as the four other men headed to the front with guns in their hands.

* * *

Sadie knocked on the door continuously until she heard footsteps inside. "I've got a dog!" Came a voice from inside. "A big, vicious, biting, dog."

"Amber, open the door." Sadie shouted, suppressing a laugh.

"Sadie?" She asked, opening the door. Amber was still 5'6, which made it easy for Sadie to actually talk to her. "Do you know what time it is?"

Sadie pushed part her. "I'm going to guess it's about 5:45?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Arkham again." She asked, closing the door and following Sadie to the kitchen.

Sadie grabbed some food from the fridge and leaned against the counter. "Yeah, I was, but I was released last night."

"Then why are you here now?"

"My dad's away on some business thing, I guess. They thought it would be best if I stayed there until I had someone to go to." She downed a glass of water and hugged her cousin. "That's why I got you!"

"Ugh." Amber sarcastically moaned, hugging her cousin back. "Well, let's get you some clothes, it's almost time for you to go to work."


	9. So Unusual

Sadie put on a pair of Amber's jeans and wore a black, long sleeved shirt. Upon observing herself in the mirror, she noticed her hair was a mess and she had no make-up on. She sighed, got undressed, and climbed in the shower. Once she got out, she put make-up and clothes on and followed Amber outside.

The old apartment building Amber stayed at was not one of luxury. She couldn't afford a lot on her salary, what with being a café owner and all. As they walked down the stairs (they're on the fifth floor), Sadie heard a couple shouting from up above, a dog barking, and loud music. The walls used to have wallpaper, but it was mostly all torn down, revealing dark, grey walls; some walls were covered in red graffiti. The steps were metal, along with the railings, and there was a gate on the front door. Since Sadie had gotten in last night, she guessed the gate didn't do what it was supposed to.

As the girls walked, they chatted about their recent lives. Amber had a new boyfriend, Sadie was in a mental hospital, Amber hired new people, Sadie cut her doctors cheek in half (Of course, she didn't mention that).

Once they got to the café, Sadie noticed how bohemian everything still was; the park across the street was still filled with Indie kids playing acoustic guitars and people painting pictures for money. There were a few small rowboats on the lake, and next to the park was the fountain. Children laughed and threw money in, while their parents dished out penny after penny. The beautiful memories made Sadie smile as she followed Amber inside.

"You know what to do." Amber laughed, tossing a black apron towards Sadie.

* * *

Bruce walked through the park, watching the painters and listening to the guitars. This park was always crowded with "artists", he didn't understand why Rachel would want to meet him around here every time they went out for lunch. Maybe it was her love of art, or her love of annoying him, or maybe Harvey was into this kind of thing.

Speaking of Harvey, Bruce spotted him and Rachel, sitting perfectly still, smiling. Harvey's smile looked fake, but Rachel looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hey, you two." Bruce said, trying to be polite.

"Oh, hey Bruce. Are you ready to eat?" Rachel asked, standing up. Harvey stood as well, paying the man in front of them. He took a piece of paper and stared at it with Rachel. They both awed, smiled, and kissed. Bruce was disgusted and, though he hated to admit it, jealous.

"Where should we eat?" Bruce asked as Harvey, obnoxiously, rolled the paper up.

Rachel pointed to little café across the park. "The Canteen" was written above the door. "They have amazing smoothies and bagels." Rachel smiled.

"Let's go." Bruce said, following Harvey and Rachel, who had just intertwined fingers.

They walked into the small building and were instantly greeted by the smell of coffee, toast, and vanilla. The smell was intoxicating. In a chair in the corner sat a man with a laptop, another man sat in near the door, also with a laptop. A dark woman was reading a large book, and a young couple said goodbye to another couple and walked out, leaving the other couple to themselves. The café was homey and welcoming, but Bruce wasn't bought just yet.

There were two people in line in front of Rachel, Bruce, and Harvey, so the three waited while a black haired girl waited on them, passing orders on to a young lady with reddish-blonde hair. The reddish-blonde looked at Bruce and rushed to the other girl. She whispered something and took over her place. The black haired girl started making smoothies and bagels. Her black hair was tied into a messy bun on the back of her head, bits of purple and blue hanging out. Bruce compared her to Rachel, which he normally did with all women; Rachel was so refined and graceful, while this girl seemed so much more immature, with her purple hair and thick eyeliner.

At that thought, as if reading his mind, the girl turned around and stared into his brown eyes. Her bright blue eyes seemed to be connected with his. She was lovely; beautiful. Her pale skin contrasted her dark hair and make-up, her long sleeves and skin-tight pants complimented her petit frame. She smiled a little bit, revealing porcelain white teeth that nearly matched her skin tone. She was just… beautiful, the way Rachel was beautiful; it's just how things were; nature.

A loud ringing broke Bruce's concentration; his cell phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the screen; Lucius Fox. "I'm sorry." He told Rachel. "I have to take this."

She had a small hint of disappointment on her face. "Of course, no problem."

Bruce glanced at the girl once again, but she wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He sighed and headed outside.


End file.
